Legalisation of documents for THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Until this month (September 2009), all documents for use in The Dominican Republic required legalisation by two stages.
First, a certificate of the Foreign office confirming the identity of the Notary, then secondly a Certificate issued by the Dominican Republic Consulate, that the Foreign Office certificate is genuine. The latter stamp cost £250.00 if a Company document and £60.00 if it was for a private person
The change which has made appears to be a case of – two steps forward, two steps back.
Two steps forward - Dominican Republic has decided that, with immediate effect, all British documents with a valid Apostille obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be received as valid in the Dominican Republic without any requirement to be further legalised by the Consular of the Dominican Republic Embassy in London.
Two steps back – all documents MUST be translated into Spanish with the translation certified by the Dominican Republic Embassy at a cost of between £120 and £200 per document.
It seems to me that for most people this change of procedure will considerably increase the cost and difficulty of preparing documents for the Dominican Republic. However, if the document can properly be prepared in the Spanish language to begin with and if you yourself have sufficient knowledge of written Spanish to read and understand the document, then there is a saving to be found.
Please note that, of course, as with any document for use in any Country, I can assist you in providing help in dealing with these formalities.
In summary, whilst I cannot do anything to reduce the Consulate’s fees, I can at least ensure that you keep your expense as low as possible, by making certain that the Country’s requirements are understood and complied with and that your documents are dealt with in the minimum time possible.